Chapter 14: Brother?

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Darkness. That was the only feasible word that one could use to describe the place where a very confused Link dwelled. Not only was it dark to one’s eyes, but it also seemed to consume one’s very being. As he looked through the infinite matter, he suddenly saw what looked like two yellow orbs not two feet in front of him. They stared at him right in his eyes, as if boring down into the depths of his very soul. His body felt numb, and if he could see it, he was sure that it was trembling as well. Out from the darkness came the most hideous sound he had ever heard. It was low and very faint at first, but it exponentially grew louder and louder. It sounded like a cackle, a sick, sinister laugh that was enough to make one’s stomach churn. Just when he thought he could not endure it much longer, it ceased. Silence. In a vast amount of ways it was one thousand times louder than that of the laughter. He began to sweat, his body no longer doing his own bidding, but acting of its own accord. It was an alien feeling to him, never had he felt this emotion before. Never had it been so magnified as it was at this moment. Fear. It was the only word that could explain such a feeling. His heart was racing, his mind was in disarray, and his body was cold. Suddenly, in what felt like an eternity, a voice finally pierced through the silence.

“Scared, boy? So this is what has become of the legendary Hero of Time! How pathetic. To think that one such as you could harbor the Triforce of Courage! Or rather…”

A golden light began to gradually dispatch that darkness. However, the two yellow orbs remained and it had spread. It seemed that light was coming from just below them. Slowly, the light revealed a hand clad in black leather. It had a silhouette of three golden triangles, however, one of them seem to be a dull gray compared to the other two. Again, the laughter began to flare as the blinding light took complete control of his vision. As it died down, the voice began once again.

“…had harbored.”

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“Link! Link, wake up!”

The boy opened his eyes. He was panting and his face was basked in a cold sweat. He had awoken to someone shaking him violently. Eyes still blurry with sleep and fatigue, he looked up to find Anju staring at him with a deep concern in her eyes and facial features.

“Are you okay? I woke up when I heard you moaning. You were shaking so bad I thought you were in pain.”

Link sat up and nodded his head slowly, indicating he was fine. He brought his hand up to his head and closed his eyes, struggling to recall that strange yet vivid dream he had just had. What in the name of all that is sacred could that have meant… This was getting to be a nuisance. First that eerie dream he had back at Malon’s house, then that killer instinct he had as he looked out on Hyrule Field and the Castle, now this. This couldn’t be a sign of the seal weakening, could it? Even so, that wouldn’t explain as to why Link was having all these strange dreams and feelings. This was too much to think about this early, he decided to put it off to the side for now.

“Are you certain you’re okay?”

Link sighed and nodded again. He looked out of the lower windows to find that it was still pretty gray outside, it was just before dawn he figured. There was no way that he’d be able to get back to sleep now, all things considered. His legs still a little weak in the knees, he stood up and stretched as Anju got up from her knees as well.

“Well as long as we’re both up, how about some breakfast before you leave?” she asked as she headed downstairs.

“Okay.”

Link followed suit and sat down at the table. Anju took out a loaf of bread, a couple of eggs, and a bottle of fresh Lon Lon milk. She set the loaf and milk down on the table and proceeded to the stove to cook the eggs. In a few minutes he began to smell the wonderful aroma waft through his nostrils. When she finished she served them on a plate for each of them and sat down at the table. After a couple of minutes of silent eating, Anju finally spoke up.

“So… what were you dreaming about?”

Upon hearing this he abruptly swallowed his eggs and looked up at her. She was looking at him with expectance. He had no clue what to tell her. He certainly couldn’t tell her the truth, what if she took it the wrong way? Perhaps he could sugar coat it, that way he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about lying to her.

“Um…it was dark.” Simple and to the point.

“Dark?”

He nodded.

“Hmm… I’ve had one of those dreams before, or rather, nightmares. Did it feel as if you’d never be happy again?” she asked.

Again, Link nodded. That was one of the feelings he got from it, among others.

“You poor thing, I know just how you felt. Well don’t worry, I’m sure it was nothing to get worked up about. You only need to remember that it was only a dream.” She said with a grin.

Link gave her a small smile back before he turned back to his plate. I hope she’s right…

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Anju stared down at Link. It was a little over an hour since they had eaten, and now he was all packed up (food included this time) and ready to head up the mountain. She smiled at him. “Thank you so much again for helping me out yesterday. It was very kind of you.”

Link blushed and scratched the back of his head while he stared down at his feet. “You’re welcome.”

“Now you be careful up there, okay? I’d rather not lose a friend after only knowing him for a day. Plus I might need a hand with these crazy cuccos.” She chuckled.

Link couldn’t help but give a small snicker at that, but also couldn’t fight back a lingering morbid feeling at the back of his mind. He would rather not have to go through another one of those round-ups. Anju leaned down and gave him a friendly hug before letting him leave. “May the Goddesses watch over you,” she said in his ear. With that, he smiled and proceeded to head for the mountain path’s entrance.

Within minutes he found himself in front of a rather large iron gate. As he approached, the guard standing watch shouted, “Halt!” Link turned to face him and remembered exactly who this man was. “Just where do you think you’re going, kiddo?” he inquired. Link just smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the note that Impa had given him a couple of days before and handed it to the guard. He took it and read it over, eyes widening as he saw the Seal of the Royal Family emblazoned on it.

“What have we here? ‘By order of the Royal Family of Hyrule and Princess Zelda: This young man, Link, is hereby granted permission to enter anywhere that is deemed necessary in order to carry out his mission to protect Hyrule. Failure to comply with these standards will result in the immediate removal from the Hyrule Royal Guard.’ Bwahahaha, what games are the little princess up to now? Protect Hyrule, huh? Well, well, Mr. Hero. Looks like this is your lucky day. The princess seems to have taken a liking to you. Very well, very well! You may pass!” That being said, the guard tapped the butt of his lance into the ground, and immediately afterwards the huge iron gate begun to grind open slowly. Lin began to walk through when the guard spoke once again. “Be forewarned, Mr. Hero. Word is that the Gorons have begun to get a little rowdy as of late. You might want to make sure you’re fully equipped and on your guard before you’re ready to continue.”

Link couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The words “rowdy” and “Goron” should never be used in the same sentence. If anything, they’ve never seemed to be awake whenever he visited them in the other timeline. He looked up to the guard and just nodded before he once again set off on his way. “Be careful!” the guard shouted to him.

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(For the sake of the story, the climb up the mountain will take much longer than in the game)

It had been a couple of hours since he left Kakariko Village, and his legs began to ache. So far the trek had been uneventful. Sure, there were a couple of Tektites here and there, but they were easily dealt with, as all they did was jump around. He stopped walking and leaned over, placing his hands on his knees and slightly panting. Looking up, he could just make out what looked to be a massive cave mouth a hundred or so feet ahead of him. Finally… With a slight boost of confidence, he headed towards the well-known landmark. He would be able to rest a while when he got there. The mountain seemed to be vaster than he remembered it, for it did not feel as if he were getting any closer. Maybe it was the exhaustion he felt setting in. He decided to pick up his pace, from a slight jog to a full-on run. The closer he got to it, the more strange it seemed to appear. There were silhouettes all around the cave mouth it seemed. What in Hyrule…?

He ran faster, his curiosity getting the better of him. He was mere feet away from it and saw the strangest sight. It seemed as if there were innumerable boulders gathered there. Also, there was a strange sound echoing in the air. It almost sounded like…snoring? Of course, those couldn’t possible be boulders. Boulders don’t snore, and they certainly don’t move up and down as if they were breathing. This could only mean on thing…these were Gorons. But…why are they here instead of the city? And what happened to the supposed “rowdiness?’ This seemed like a good a time as any to find out. Link approached the nearest one, lightly tapping its back. It didn’t respond to his touch. He tried again, only slightly harder. Nothing.

Z’Z’Z’Z’Z’Z’….

He couldn’t try shouting, there was no way they would be able to hear him through the amplified sound of the snores. One would think that those alone would be enough to wake them up. Letting his annoyance get the better of him, Link kicked the Goron on what he supposed was its rump. Not even a stir. Sighing in defeat, he decided that maybe this would be a good time to rest. He looked around and spotted a large boulder just big enough for him to sit on. Making sure that it wasn’t really a Goron in disguise, he sat on it and took out an apple from his pack. This was turning out to be a rather strange day. As he was finishing his fruit, he suddenly began to feel quite sleepy. Considering his lack of sleep last night, and the fact that he had been climbing up a mountain for the past few hours, one couldn’t blame him. Slowly, he lay back on the rock and let his sleep engulf his mind, hoping that he wouldn’t have another nightmare.

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Malon sighed as she looked up from her current chore of milking the cows. It had been just over one day ago that Link had gone, but to her it felt like an eternity. Ever since he left, her mind had been wrought with worry as to how he was doing, whether or not he was safe, and when she would see him again. She hoped it was soon, but even so, she would wait for him as long as it takes. She felt a little guilty about these selfish thoughts, since Link was out for not only her safety but the safety of Hyrule as well.

Standing up, she wiped the sweat off of her brow and hauled the now filled bucket of milk into the house. Talon was once again asleep, having done his share of work the previous evening. Ingo, on the other hand, was busy shoveling the fields clean for the horses. No doubt he would be in a foul mood when he was finished, as he always was when it came to that particular chore. Malon placed the bucket onto the table and proceeded to the cabinet, where she found it full of empty bottles with the Lon Lon Ranch Milk label. She grabbed as many as she could carry and proceeded to fill each one up. The bucket was such that it had a small indenture on one of the edges so it made pouring liquid out much smoother and easier, especially into the small openings of the bottles.

She absentmindedly continued her work, all thoughts on Link, until she was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door. Who could that be? Surely Link hasn’t returned yet… she wondered to herself. The girl stood up and opened the door, and was quite surprised as to who was on the other side.

“Good day to you, Miss,” a man clad in armor said to her. From the look of him, he seemed to be a Royal Guard.

“Um, yes? How may I help you?” Malon asked him politely.

“Are you Miss Malon?” the guard inquired.

“Yes, that would be me.”

“I have a message to you from Her Highness, Princess Zelda,” he said whilst handing her a sealed envelope.

“Oh goodness, really? What does she want with me?” she wondered more to herself than to the guard.

“I am not sure, but she requested that I deliver it with the utmost of haste. I suspect it is quite urgent.”

Malon merely nodded and wondered what could be so important. “Good day to you Miss Malon, May the Goddesses watch over you” the man said with a bow.

“Thank you,” Malon said as she shut the door. Quickly, she sat at the table and tore open the letter. She read through it, eyes widening gradually at its words:

‘Dear Malon,

I have an urgent matter to discuss with you that I cannot describe within this message, for fear of it being read by the wrong people. Just know that it involves the fate of Hyrule and Link. You must report to me as soon as you can. I fear time is becoming short. Be safe on your journey here, and may the Divine Three protect you.

-Zelda’

The princess wanted to see her, and about Link? What could this possibly mean? Was Link in danger? That was all she could think about as she scurried around to find a spare piece of parchment and a quill. She decided to leave her father a note explaining what had happened instead of waking him up. She had to leave as soon as she could. After she had taken care of the note and gathered up anything she might need for the trip, she quickly went to the stables and saddled up the nearest horse. Quick as a flash, she set off towards the castle, hoping that Link would be all right.

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Link awoke from his nap, slowly gathering his thoughts, racking his brain as to what he was doing before he fell asleep. He remembered being at the entrance to the cave, and all of the Gorons sleeping in front of it. Now thought, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he noticed that he was no longer outside. Instead of awakening on the boulder, he found that he was in a average sized room, dimly lit by a couple of torches here and there. He noticed that it wasn’t a normal room, either. The walls had appeared to made of solid rock, masterly crafted into the room he was in now. He noticed also a rather large statue across from him of what looked to be of a square Goron, and at the base of it was a rug of very intricate design, white with what he could only describe as black silhouettes of the fabled Goron Ruby. There were also strange designs carved into the walls. They looked quite eerie in the dim firelight. If his memory was correct, this room belonged to-

“So, you’re awake, small one.” The voice boomed from the doorway as Link jumped to his feet in surprise. He looked at the owner of the voice and smiled wide. Standing before him was a huge Goron, with a long white mane of a beard, huge burly muscles, eyes of amethyst, and a belly that’d make even the plumpest of carpenters green with envy. It was none other than his self-proclaimed brother: Darunia himself.

“It is not often that we get a small Hylian such as yourself in these mountains. Why do you trespass on my people’s land?”

Darunia did not look very happy as he asked Link this. His smile had faded and was now thinking of what he should do. Perhaps he could avoid the question altogether if he could just play the Song of Memories. He reached at his side for his pouch, but noticed that he grabbed nothing but a handful of his tunic. He looked down to find nothing there, much to his dismay.

“We decided that it would be best if you did not have your little toys, lest you pose a threat to us,” the Goron stated firmly. He seemed to be a bit angered that Link had tried to reach for something that he could possibly use to harm him.

Link looked up at him with wide eyes. This was definitely turning out to be another one of those days.

“You have yet to answer my question, small one! Speak!” Darunia bellowed.

This wasn’t the Darunia that he remembered. He was definitely a lot more…rowdy he guessed could be one word that described him, also, a heck of a lot more short-tempered. He didn’t know what he could possibly say to answer him. He had a gut feeling that this huge monster was in no mood for a long story either. As Link searched the recesses of his mind, he remembered the note that Impa had given him. Perhaps that could explain something if he showed it to him? He hoped that it was still in his pocket. He reached in, not daring to take his eyes off of Darunia, and felt the small piece of parchment against his fingers. With a sigh of relief, he took it out and handed it to the beast.

“What’s this?” Darunia quickly noticed the Royal Family’s Seal at the top of the note and proceeded to read it. “So, you are a messenger of the Royal Family. Very well, I shall hear what you have to say, but make it quick…” he glanced down at the note again, ”…Link.”

With an inner sigh of relief, Link proceeded to explain his mission to the Leader of the Gorons. After what seemed like hours, his retelling of the story finally came to an end. More than once he had thought that Darunia he a look of total disbelief in his features, but he allowed Link to finish. The young boy looked up at him expectantly, nervously awaiting the Gorons reply.

“And how do you expect me to believe such nonsense…Brother?” he finally inquired firmly.

Link looked at him with slight disappointment, but he wouldn’t waver, not now, not ever. With iron conviction, he looked into his eyes and said to Darunia, “I need my equipment.”

“BWAHAHAHA! ‘You need your equipment?’ And why should I listen to you? You may be a messenger of the Royal Family, but you are in no position to make demands!”

The boy looked at him with anger in his eyes. He was treating him as if he were an insignificant bottled bug. Did he not just ask him to prove his story true? He couldn’t do that without his Ocarina.

“You dare scowl at me? You have courage, young one. If you are that set on getting your equipment, then perhaps I shall give you a chance to win it back.”

“…Win?” he asked, completely perplexed.

“You heard me. You have currently come at the time of our games. There, all Gorons are allowed to participate in order to prove their strength and to win the ultimate of prizes, the Goron Ruby.”

Link sighed. What a day… “What must I do?” he asked.

“Simply put, you must defeat your opponents in sparring matches in order to advance to the next round. The final match will be against none other than myself. Not only will you earn the right to claim the Goron Ruby as your own, but ‘if’ you win you will also be given back your equipment.”

“…Okay.” Link stated. Although this did sound quite out of the way of his journey, not to mention unexpected, but he figured that it wouldn’t hurt to hone his skills a little. Besides, how hard can sparring with a few lazy Gorons be?

“Very well. The games start at dawn one moon cycle from now. I suggest that you get some rest, as you will most definitely need it. You may use this room. I must admit, I am eager to see how you will prove your little ‘story’ to me,” the hefty Goron said. With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Link with his thoughts of how in Hyrule he could have gotten into a mess like this. I wonder how Malon’s doing…?

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It was approaching sundown as Malon had finally made it to the Castle Town market. She was able to beat the bridge before it gone up, but it seemed like she was stuck here until morning. She made haste to the gates of the Castle, showing the guards her letter and finally making it to the front. Once there, a stable hand had come to tend to her horse while she waited for a guard to escort her to the princess.

“Miss Malon?” a voice called out from the huge doors to the castle. It belonged to a middle-aged woman clad in strange clothing and had piercing red eyes.

“Um, yes. That’s me,” she answered nervously. She had never actually been inside the castle before now, so she didn’t really know what to expect.

“I am Impa, Princess Zelda’s attendant. If you will please come with me, the Princess awaits you in her chambers.”

“Okay,” she replied.

“This way,” the Shiekah woman said as she turned and walked into the castle. She led Malon down a long hallway that seemed to go on forever. They went up a few staircases here and there, and into more winding hallways. She wondered how could anyone find his or her way around a castle this big. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the pair approached a huge set of double doors with what seemed like gold handles in place of the usual iron.

“Please proceed. The Princess is inside awaiting your arrival,” Impa said.

With a nod, Malon obeyed her request and headed inside, all the while wondering what this was all about. She closed the door behind her softly, and looked around. The room was definitely fit for a princess, and looked to be quite exquisite. It was huge. There was a vanity table off to her left against the wall with what seemed like hundreds of beauty products and a towering mirror that seemed to almost miss the ceiling. Across from her she saw a gigantic king-sized bed. It had pink blankets made of silk with pillows to match, as well as the hint of gold used for the Triforce symbols that embroidered the edges. The carpet under her feet felt extremely plush and cushy, and was also pink. The princess seemed to have a thing for the color, she thought. To Malon’s right, she saw a set of double glass doors with golden rims. One of the doors stood open, and she noticed a gentle breeze coming from it.

She cautiously approached them, wondering if that was where her majesty was. When she approached her goal, Malon saw a girl no older than she staring off into the distance that was Hyrule Field. The girl was clad a white and pink outfit outlined with Triforce emblems and a white bonnet on her head. She also had a few strands of golden hair sticking out and was being gently blown in the wind. Malon decided to catch her attention, although nervously.

“U-um, Your Majesty?”

The young girl jumped slightly in surprised with a gasp, and quickly turned around. It seemed like she must have been deep in thought if she hadn’t noticed Malon approach her.

“Oh goodness, my apologies! I did not notice that you had already arrived, Miss Malon.”

“It’s okay, Your Highness.”

“Please, call me Zelda. There is no need for formalities,” the princess said with a smile.

“Oh okay…Zelda. You can call me Malon then. ‘Miss’ makes it sound as if I were a lot older,” the young red head said with a laugh.

“Okay then, Malon. Please, have a seat. I am sure you are wondering as to why I have summoned you.”

Malon looked to where the Zelda had pointed and noticed two chairs against the rails of the balcony. She gladly took one, since she was still a bit worn from walking the halls of the castle. With one last glance out at Hyrule, the Princess sat down in the adjacent seat. She seemed to be contemplating what to say first.

“As I have stated in the letter, I have asked you to come here so that I may discuss the fate of Hyrule with you…and Link.”

“Link?” Malon asked with wide eyes. “You mean that he told you about me?”

“Well, not exactly. You see, when he had come to see me a few days later, I saw in the recesses of his mind that you were someone quite important to him,” Zelda said.

“In his…mind? How is that possible?” This was really starting to confuse her.

“Has he not told you of his mission?” the princess asked in astonishment.

“He has, yes. But I don’t remember him telling me that you were a…mind-reader,” she answered.

Zelda gave a small giggle. “Well I am not surprised. I suppose it was a tad overbearing for him. I am able to read the minds of others if I wish with the power the Triforce of Wisdom.”

“R-really?” Malon really didn’t need anyone else delving into her private thoughts of her and Link together.

“Be at ease, Malon. Your thoughts are safe. I do not use my power unless I must,” Zelda said.

She felt relieved when she heard this, but also a bit curious. She had a question lingering at the back of her mind but she decided to put it off for now.

“As I was saying, Hyrule is in grave danger. Link’s mission is of the utmost importance, lest we repeat the fate of the other timeline. The power of the Master Sword alone is not enough to keep Ganondorf in the Evil Realm. Those chosen to be Sages must also use their power to keep the seal intact. But this is not what most worries me…”

Malon looked at the princess. She had her eyes down on the floor and her face was quite grim. What in Hyrule could be worse than Ganondorf escaping?

“What most worries me is…Link.”

“Link?”

“Yes. I am afraid that the link between the Triforce holders is what jeopardizes his safety. Even though Ganondorf is locked away, that does not mean that the Triforce of Power is lying dormant. He is able to freely use that power to communicate with Link and I.”

This news was quite disturbing to Malon. This meant that Link could be in much more danger than she realized. “How does he communicate with you two?”

“As of yet, he has not been able to communicate with me. I have been gradually focusing my power to keep him out of my mind. But as for Link… I am afraid that he is still quite unfamiliar with the Triforce of Courage. Thus, I have suspicions that Ganondorf is exploiting Link’s inexperience and is slowly taking over his dreams, and eventually…his mind,” Zelda finished.

“What? No, that can’t be! How can we stop him?” Malon shouted.

“I am afraid… I do not know. Never had I imagined that this could happen. But if that were to happen, I suspect that we would need someone dear to him to help him break free from Ganondorf’s clutches.”

“Someone…dear? You mean…?”

“Yes. That someone is you.” As she said this, Malon noticed that Zelda had gotten quiet. Her face showed signs of fear for Link’s current situation, but also …disappointment? This made Malon wonder, and that that nagging question at the back of mind was starting to become irritating. Seeing as she couldn’t take it anymore, she decided to ask her.

“Zelda, when you said that you only read people’s minds when you have to… why did you read Link’s?”

Zelda’s back instantly shot up straight and her eyes had gone wide as she looked up at the girl next to her. Her cheeks had suddenly become a slight shade of red as she just registered Malon’s question in her mind. “I-I suppose that… I wanted to know whom he held dear to his heart…” she said quietly.

That definitely made a lot of sense to Malon. But did that mean that…?

“Does that mean that you…?” she started.

Zelda gently nodded her head. “Ever since I laid eyes on him. I have never met anyone so brave, kind, and…wonderful.”

The young redhead didn’t know what to think. She had suspicions that Link had been in love with the princess, but to hear that the princess loved him in return? But she just said that she was the one whom Link held dear in his heart. She was speechless.

“Sadly… I will never have his feelings of love returned to me. But, I am happy for you, Malon. He could not have picked a more perfect person to love,” the princess said with a small smile.

“T-thank you, Zelda. But…how will I be able to help him if Ganondorf takes his mind?”

“You must have faith in yourself, Malon. Link is strong, and you will only help reinforce his strength,” she said.

Malon gave her a wide smile. Deep down, she hoped that it would never come to that.

“At most, I estimate that Link has seven years to complete his task before the seal breaks. We can only hope he awakens that sages in time for the sake of Hyrule.”

“Zelda…what will happen to Link if Ganondorf succeeds?” Malon asked.

“Again, I am not sure. But I would think that his consciousness would be in a stasis. He will need help awakening if that were to happen.”

“I see…” ‘Oh, Link… please be safe.’

At this point in their conversation, the sun had completely set and it was now dark, save for the many stars that lit the sky. Zelda noticed this and decided that this would be the perfect time to head inside.

“The hour grows late. Perhaps it would be best to get some rest. I shall have my attendant take you to a guest room for the night,” Zelda said.

“Okay. Thank you, Zelda.” Now that she thought about it, Malon was getting rather tired.

“You are most welcome, Malon. Have a good nights rest. I will speak to you in the morning.”

Zelda led Malon to the door and opened it to find Impa waiting patiently. “Impa, would you please escort Malon to one of the guest bedrooms?”

“Certainly, Your Highness. This way Miss Malon,” the Shiekah said.

With one last wave to Zelda, Malon followed the attendant to her room. Minutes later she found herself inside one of the guest bedrooms after having bid Impa a good night. She noticed that these rooms had a much plainer design on them. In a word, one would describe them as…white. Feeling much more tired now that she saw a rather comfortable looking bed, Malon made her way onto it, and after taking off her boots, she lay back on it and drifted slowly off to sleep, her mind wrought with worry for the young Hylian hero.

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Link stared at the ceiling as he lay on the rather uncomfortable bed that Darunia allowed him to sleep on. He found it hard to get to sleep after his conversation with the Goron leader. That had been a few hours ago, and since then his thoughts had been dwelling on topics such as the tournament, Malon, his mission, Malon, and getting his Ocarina back. What if he lost the tournament? What would he do then? Would he just compete in them again? How long would it be before the next one? Was Malon okay? These, among other questions, were what kept him awake. He had no clue what he was going to do if he lost. For all he knew, the Gorons would eat him alive if it wasn’t for the fact that they only ate rocks.

As his mind lingered on these thoughts, they were suddenly broken by a faint ‘psst’ sound. He looked towards the door and noticed a very large head staring at him. It looked like a Goron, but not the typical one. This one seemed to be getting on in years though he still kept a rather well built figure (for a Goron). “Are you the one they call ‘Link’?”

Link nodded his head to the question. The Goron looked around as if seeing if there were any others watching. Then, he turned back to the boy and spoke. “I heard that you were to compete in the games tomorrow. Is this true?” he asked.

Link again nodded his head, all the while wondering where this was going.

“Sigh… I was afraid so. I have a proposition for you,” the Goron said.

Link gave him a puzzled look, but urged him to continue. “ My name is Darmani. I have come to ask a favor, but I will make it worth your while.” He paused for a moment in order to come into the room. He stopped in front of Link, but the boy noticed that this ‘Darmani’ he a limp to his walk. The Goron sat down on floor in front of him with a groan and continued. “As you can see, I am no longer at my peak condition to participate in the games. But I have come to ask that, should you win, you give me the Goron’s Ruby. In exchange, I shall train you.”

Link didn’t think that that was much of a fair exchange. His facial features must have shown his discouragement, because Darmani spoke again.

“I understand that this does not seem like a fair exchange to you, but before I had become injured, I was known as the greatest champion of all the Gorons, even greater than Darunia himself. Before now, the Goron Ruby had been kept at the highest point in the city for all to behold. But now, it has become coveted by all the Gorons in the city. You see, a rumor had unearthed that the one who consumed the jewel would also consumed its power, thus granting one superb strength and endurance for as long as he should live. However, I cannot let this happen. The Ruby has been a treasure of the Gorons for numerous generations. When I had openly spoke out about my displeasure, well…you can see for yourself what they had done to me.”

Link looked down at his leg. He noticed a huge gash had once settled upon it, but had now become a permanent scar that looked as if the skin had been indented. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

“So, I ask of you, one who has no need for the Ruby, would you grant me this request? I assure you that my skills will greatly be of use to you on your adventures.”

The boy thought about it. What did he have to lose? If the Gorons were capable of felling their champion, then surely he would need all the help he could get. Plus, it was for a good cause. After thinking this, he looked up at Darmani and nodded his head with a smile.

“You will? Wonderful! Then I shall see you at dawn. Meet me at the entrance of the city. Your training will begin immediately.” With that, he got up and slowly limped his way back out of the room, leaving Link alone with his thoughts yet again.

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A/N Sorry for not updating for a few months, I've been busy with school and not to mentions some personal issues. I'd like to thank those who reviewed, and a very big thanks to EndlessStrife for beta reading this chapter. Til next time, farewell.